UKIPT Series 1, London: Pat Simcoe cooking on gas, leads after Day 1A

In December 2009 PokerStars took a bit of step into the unknown when they launched a regional tour in the shape of the UKIPT. Three and a half years on and they've launched the UKIPT Series. It's designed to compliment the main UKIPT tour and to cater for the grass roots player that the UKIPT originally set out to serve as the buy-in on the main tour increases.

There'll still be plenty of crossover between the two entities though so it's perhaps fitting that the chip leader today is Pat Simcoe. The 48-year-old from Oxford, who works for British Gas, final tabled UKIPT London in March, finishing third; today he turned his 20,000 into more than 11 times that amount as he bagged up 220,500 to lead the Day 1A field.

Simcoe has earned himself a Pat on the back

Today was just like a UKIPT main event but with a turbo twist, the same structure but 30 instead of 60-minute levels. That meant when a dozen were done and dusted only 39 of the 147 who started remained. Others who joined Simoce at the top of the chip charts included: Enzo Gomez (182,600), Marius Lietuvninkas (177,600), Terry Jordan (166,800) and Uzzol Miah (145,700).

Marius is making another deep UKIPT run

There were plenty of familiar UKIPT faces in attendance today, some like Deborah Worley-Roberts (38,300) and James Greenwood (64,900) made it through, whilst others like Jamie Burland fell by the wayside. The UKIPT1 Brighton champion is tied with Rupinder Bedi for most UKIPT main event cashes, but couldn't add another to the ledger when he lost a race with pocket twos against Charles Akadiri's ace-queen.

Other notables to hit the rail included: Philippe Souki, Willie Tann, Ian Woodley, Sinem Melin and PokerStars Team Online's Mickey Peterson. The Dane got it in with eights against pocket tens, four aces on the board meant that at least Peterson can say he busted to quads!

Petersen was have to try again

Two other members of 'the family' will be proudly sporting the Red Spade tomorrow as both Liv Boeree and Jake Cody will take to the felt. We're expecting a bumper field of 200 plus - see you from 2pm tomorrow - but until then it's good night. You can catch up with all today's action by clicking on the links below.